She snorted. “You’re strong. You don’t need me. We did what we set out to do and eradicated the vampires. They’re no longer a threat to us.”
“She still is.” I gestured toward Emma. “She could escape and go after you.”
“Then you’re going to have to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Zoe licked her lips and glanced at Sami before focusing on me. “Under normal circumstances, I would kill her myself. We have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to attacking our kid.” She shot Emma a pointed glare. “This situation is different. This is your family. These people have the answers you need. Something tells me, even if she does escape, she’s going to be more interested in you than us.”
“Especially since Sami told her the book was destroyed,” said Rafael.
Zoe extended a finger in her daughter’s direction. “You have a such a big mouth.”
Sami made an exaggerated face. “Look who’s talking.” The girl snuggled closer to her father. “I don’t think you should punish me, Daddy. This is really your fault for treating me like a little girl.”
Aric lightly tugged on her hair and shook his head, pressing a finger to his lips. “You’re in enough trouble. It’s time to be quiet.”
“Mom doesn’t have to be quiet.”
“You’re not your mother.”
Resigned, I snagged gazes with Zoe again. “I was kind of hoping you would hang around and help me figure this out.”
“Have you needed help figuring things out before? You don’t strike me as the sort of person who needs someone else to hold her hand in tough times.”
“Not hold my hand. It’s just ... you didn’t know what you were either. Others had to help you until it became clear. I thought maybe you could help me figure out what I am.”
Zoe drew closer, holding my gaze. “If you need help, or someone to talk to, you have my number. We’re expected in Detroit in a week and a half. We have to return home, reunite Sami with her dog, torture her with bad reruns and ground her until the end of time. This here isn’t our battle. It’s your battle.”
The truth was hard to swallow, and yet necessary all the same. The only reason I wanted to use her as a crutch was because of the bubbling fear that was threatening to overwhelm me. I’d never felt anything like it before.
“You have Gunner,” she reminded me on a whisper. “You have Rooster, and Raisin ... and a Peeping Tim ghost. You have a cat, and Bonnie, and that Whistler guy, who I really like.” Briefly, her eyes flicked to Ezekiel. “You also have a grandfather, and you’re the one who needs to decide if you can trust him. I can’t do that for you.”
“I’m afraid.” I blurted it out, internally cringing when I felt multiple sets of eyes on me. I was now the center of attention.
“You’re a badass,” she replied simply. “You’ll figure it out. If you need help, I’ll come roaring in with magic blazing. I might even bring the mouthy little one for good measure, that is if she’s ever done being grounded.”
“Oh, man,” Sami whined. “Why am I being punished for saving the day?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. I knew what I needed to do. “Thanks for the offer. Something tells me I’ll figure it out.”
“Something tells me you’re right.” Zoe leaned in and gave me a surprise hug. “We’re friends now. Heck, we’re sort of like family. If you ever need to drop my name, don’t hesitate. There’s nothing I like more than striking fear in the hearts of an unsuspecting populace.”
That earned a full laugh from me. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She pulled back and saluted. “Follow your instincts, Scout. They’ll never lead you astray.”
And that right there was the best thing she ever could have said.
For the first time, the road in front of me had a clear destination. I didn’t know what would happen, but the answers I was looking for were within my grasp. That was what I always wanted, and now I was finally going to get it.
Hopefully.
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
For more information:
author@amandamlee.net
Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
Off the Record
Unwritten & Underwater
Extra! Extra! Dead All About It
On Deadline & Under Fire
Above the Fold & Below the Belt
Oracles & Obituaries
New Media & Old Grudges
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
The Trouble With Witches
Murder Most Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
A Breath of Witchy Air
Witch, Interrupted
Flip the Witch Switch
Witchin’ Around the Clock
To Love a Witch
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
Landon Calling
I Dream of Twila
How Aunt Tillie Stole Christmas
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
Make A Witch
A Witchmas Carol
All My Witches
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Grim Holiday
Grim Rising
Grim Tempest
Grim Vows
Grimlock Family Shorts
Grim Like Me
Grim & The City
Now & Grim
Grim & Bear It
Grim & The Dead
Death Gate Grim Reapers
Only the Lonely
Only the Quiet
Only the Lost
Only the Devout
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Da
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Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Freaky Games
Freaky Places
Freaky Rites
Freaky Witches
Freaky Reapers
Freaky Fangs
Freaky Seas
A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery
The Bigfoot Blunder
The Chupacabra Catastrophe
The Werewolf Whoops
The Megalodon Mix-Up
The Undead Uproar
The Incubus Impasse
The Killer Clown Calamity
A Moonstone Bay Cozy Mystery
Witchin’ USA
Witch Out of Water
Freaky Deaky Tiki
To Spell With It
Brewing Up a Storm
A Spell’s Angels Cozy Mystery
Bad to the Crone
No Crones About It
No Crone Unturned
A Two Broomsticks Gas & Grill Cozy Mystery
Sinfully Delicious
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
Dying Covenant Trilogy
Haunted Covenant
Desperate Covenant
Everlasting Covenant
2019 Shorts
Wolf on the Job
Luke on the Loose
Cupid in Crisis
Millie on a Mission
Jerry Takes Charge
Elemental Witches of Eternal Springs
Bat Out Of Spell
Spell on Earth
Hotter Than Spell
Spell or High Water
Books by Lily Harper Hart
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight
Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
Grave Decisions
Grave Seasons
Grave Holiday
Grave Haunting
Grave Paths
Grave Danger
Grave Missteps
Grave Demands
Grave Wedding
An Ivy Morgan Mystery
Wicked Days
Wicked Dreams
Wicked Times
Wicked Places
Wicked Warning
Wicked Fog
Wicked Season
Wicked Winter
Wicked Hearts
Wicked Wishes
Wicked Whimsy
Wicked Haunts
Wicked Delight
Wicked Respite
Wicked Decisions
Wicked Reunion
Wicked Games
A Harper Harlow Mystery
Ghostly Issues
Ghostly Deceits
Ghostly Worries
Ghostly Images
Ghostly Wrecks
Ghostly Asylum
Ghostly Tricks
Ghostly Distress
Ghostly Despair
Ghostly Holiday
Ghostly Ordeal
Ghostly Fears
Ghostly Charms
Ghostly Business
Ghostly Camping
A Rowan Gray Mystery
Welcoming Seas
Murky Seas
Stormy Seas
Sunken Seas
Choppy Seas
Churning Seas
Dangerous Seas
Perilous Seas
Raging Seas
A Hannah Hickock Witchy Cozy Mystery
The Dirty Coven
A Fistful of Demons
Boot Scootin’ Boogeyman
The Monstrous Seven
A Supernatural Speakeasy Cozy Mystery
The Hexorcist
Witch Confidential
Curse A Brew Streak
Crossovers
Wicked Ghosts
Wicked Seas
Ghostly Seas
Grave Seas
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Storm
Deadly Dealings
Deadly Christmas
Deadly Desperados
Deadly Arrival
Deadly Rivalry
Deadly Memories
Deadly Adventure
Deadly Reunion
Deadly Conflicts
Deadly Payback
Deadly Waves
Deadly Forever